Critics say the amendments correct some of the flaws in the rule finalized last December, but it’s still far too conservative when compared to historic losses at the GSEs.
The fee, passed a decade ago to help pay for a temporary payroll tax cut, expired Oct. 1. Democrats resurrected it for another decade to help pay for infrastructure priorities.
Market forces and regulatory issues outside the control of Fannie and Freddie may make it difficult for them to achieve the proposed affordable housing benchmarks.
Successive OIG reports have found chronic deficiencies in FHFA’s internal controls and in its supervision of the GSEs. The latest report is more of the same.
A new standardized structure for capital and risk-management disclosures will make it easier to compare Fannie and Freddie to one another and to other large financial institutions.